Flemish Giant Rabbits are often bred for their fur and meat. The RSPCA in the UK have rescued 47 giant rabbits from an illegal breeding farm. They were crammed into tiny, inappropriate cages. The alarm was raised by a member of the public who saw them covered in dirt and unable to move properly in their tiny and dirty hutches as an allotment in Northumberland. The rabbits were being fattened up for slaughter for their meat to be sold on the black market.
These are Flemish Giant Rabbits. They weigh the same as a medium-sized dog at about 8 kg. They say that their ears can be 7 inches long but the rabbit in the picture on this page appears to have ears that are longer than that. It may be a distortion due to the camera angle and the use of a wide-angle lens.
Fortunately, when checked over by a veterinarian, they were found to be in reasonably good condition although one is being treated for weepy eyes and a wound on the back of their neck.
The RSPCA hope that they can be placed into loving homes. They make good companion animals and have a nice temperament.
The RSPCA report that they are seeing more rabbits coming into their care and this may be due to the cost-of-living crisis. It appears that what they are saying is that the illegal breeding of rabbits to produce low-cost meat is on the increase because of the cost-of-living crisis as it is called. Criminals will always exploit these sorts of events.
Half of the rescued rabbits were adults and the remainder were babies. Sadly, the RSPCA also report that they have seen a 49% increase in the number of rabbits abandoned in the UK. That paints a terribly bad picture. It implies to me that often when people adopt a rabbit, they do not know what they are doing a lot of the time. They end up changing their mind and abandon the animal.
The answer, as the RSPCA would strongly recommend, is to do your research before adopting any companion animal to ensure that you are able to fund the caregiving properly and are committed to a lifetime of care. And beware low-cost rabbit meat being sold at markets. It may have come from a cruel backstreet trader. Do you want to support animal cruelty?
Below are some more articles on rabbits.
